Friday, May 28, 2010

I owe you more than an update, my friends, but I'm afraid it's going to be another week before I get it to you. You see, today was the last day of school and tomorrow we're packing up the family and heading to Disney World for a crazy week. I don't think further explanation is needed for the lack of recent posts (and the lack of posts for the upcoming week). Let's just hope I find a minute or two to finally relax!

This week has brought more cucumbers, basil, and several yummy tomatoes. 2lbs of cukes and 1/2lb of cherry tomatoes, to be exact.

I'm fortunate to have family nearby who will be house and garden sitting while we're gone. I sure hope they enjoy the fresh veggies!

Since this post is short on pictures, I figure I'll leave you with a few from a couple of weeks ago. I found these little critters when we were trimming back hedges. Obviously, we stopped trimming immediately and left them alone, but not before I snagged a few photos.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

THIS is the reason I have yet to plant my tomatoes (and also the reason I shamefully fed my family ramen noodles for dinner):

(Darth Vader)

(Yoda)

(Storm Trooper)

(Boba Fett)

It's far from perfect, but homemade birthday cakes are a family tradition, and it's exactly what he wanted!

I'm off to bed now - I'll be up before sunrise in an attempt to plant some of my tomatoes and peppers before church. My baby's seventh birthday party is tomorrow afteroon, so I won't have much time for the garden..

Monday, May 17, 2010

We're back in business!!! Thanks to Granny's suggestion, I am able to bring you pictures of today's harvest. Thank you Granny!

My harvests are still small, but they're getting bigger! This week brought the very first ripe cherry tomatoes - and they were so yummy! I picked a few more than what are pictured here.. but they didn't make it into the house. Lots more are blushing now - it won't be long before I have more than I know what to do with.

This week brought a little lettuce, but it was pretty bitter. Also, several cucumbers - yum!

Meager harvest totals:

Lettuce - 2 ouncesTomatoes - 1 ounceCucumbers - 2.5 pounds

This post has been a part of Daphne's Harvest Monday. Join in the fun here!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

At this moment, I'm snuggled up on the couch with my favorite little boy, enjoying Saturday morning cartoons before heading out for a day-long trip. The taste of summer is still on my lips, soon to be replaced by my morning coffee.

I wanted to share pictures of the garden's progress this morning, but my computer is not cooperating. If I could have posted them, you would have seen pictures of my sprawling cherry tomato plant - covered in dozens of tiny green orbs - and even a few red ones. As I was taking their picture, one of the tomatoes volunteered itself for a taste test when it rolled right off the plant into my palm. It was my first taste of the Summer of 2010, and it was delicious. You would have also seen my tomato and pepper "seedling" jungle. Yesterday I hit the motherload when I called a local nursery to see if they had any extra 5 gallon pots laying around. They did - and I could help myself to all I wanted for $0.75 a pop. What a steal! I used all the self control I could muster and left with only 30. But I know where to get more if I need them! Tomorrow I hope to repot most (if not all) of the tomatoes and peppers.

Also, you would have seen pictures of my lovely Mother's Day presents. Mother Nature herself provided me with a wonderful bouquet of flowers (from bolted bok choi, but I'm trying to be a glass-half-full kinda girl). My husband and son surprised me with a trip to another local nursery to pick out whatever I wanted, which was a bit overwhelming, but we eventually made some good decisions. I'll save more details from that surprise for another post.

I also had pictures of my lettuces. The local birds have discovered a taste for romaine, but they don't tend to care for mesclun or buttercrunch, so hopefully I'll have one more harvest in the near future!

And then there's the squash bed, that is brimming with vines. I'll save more details on that for another post as well. Things are looking good!!

The next few weeks are going to be very busy, as school winds down, work is more stressful than ever, and my family prepares to leave for a much needed vacation. Posts might be a little thin, but I'm sure I'm not the only one overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle that comes along with spring..

As a side note, my computer completely crashed and I had to reload a new version of Windows (Vista). When I plug in my SD card, nothing happens... and it isn't listed under the My Computer section. Do any of you computer experts know how I can access my photos?

Sunday, May 9, 2010

I hope everyone has had a great Mother's Day! I owe a big thanks to my wonderful husband and son for making my Mother's Day so special.. You two mean the world to me and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

I have so much to update you all on, but computer problems have kept me away. I hope to be back in business in a few days...

Monday, May 3, 2010

Three of the sweetest, crispest cucumbers that have ever touched your lips. Their seeds are small and soft. Their skin has never been covered in wax. They are full and heavy - 2 pounds in all.

Now imagine those cucumbers, sliced and piled atop a crunchy, spicy blend of lettuce, drizzled with a spicy mustard vinagrette.

Was it divine? I agree...

I hope you pictured it well, because that was my harvest - 2 pounds of cucumbers and 1/4 pound of mesclun lettuce. Unfortunately my computer has crashed and my photos went with it. Fortunately, my husband has graciously lent me his laptop and you already know what cucumbers look like!

This post is part of Daphne's Harvest Monday. Join in on the fun here.